The invention relates to an apparatus and to a process for transporting sheet-like supplementary products, provided in particular with adhesive, from a receiving location to a discharge location.
During the processing, in particular during the collection, of printed products, it is often the case that supplementary products, such as labels, trade stamps or post-it(copyright) products, are to be provided in or on the printed products. The supplementary products may be present, for example, in a stack or separated off from a band or strip which is present in roll form. This band may be a carrier band, the supplementary products adhering thereto, being detached therefrom during the conveying operation, being gripped by an apparatus of the generic type and transported to the discharge location and then connected to the printed products directly, or if appropriate also by a further tool. The strip or the band, however, may also form the basis of the supplementary products, which are separated off from the strip and, if appropriate, processed further, and, if appropriate, are provided with an adhesive.
If an adhesive layer is required for the fed supplementary products, this is normally provided laterally, in relation to the conveying direction, on the supplementary products in the form of a strip. This is because the operation of applying a longitudinally continuous adhesive strip to a band is considerably more straightforward than applying, section by section, transverse strips which, in addition, have to be synchronized with a severing tool. It is also the case when a carrier band is used that supplementary products adhering thereto are preferably provided laterally, as seen in the conveying direction, with a strip-forming adhesive layer. As soon as the carrier band is guided, for example, around a detachment edge forming an acute angle, the supplementary products, which are coated with an adhesive, continue in the conveying direction, while being detached from the carrier band in the process.
While the operation of feeding supplementary products provided laterally with an adhesive strip is advantageous, supplementary products which are provided laterally with an adhesive strip can only be connected correctly to printed products with the corresponding high level of outlay. It is often thus practice to use apparatuses in which the transporting direction of the supplementary products is changed within the conveying operation, with the result that, following the changeover, the edge which butts against the adhesive strip trails in relation to the new transporting direction.
Such an apparatus is known from PCT publication number WO 99/06285. This document discloses a feed conveyor by means of which a band which is provided laterally with an adhesive-layer strip is fed to a cutting apparatus, which severs supplementary products from said band. The severed supplementary products are fed, by means of a suction tool or of a roller, to a rotor which, by means of gripping or suction elements, grips said products laterally, in relation to the feed and/or longitudinal band direction, guides them to a discharge location and, there, connects them to a printed product and releases them. In this case, the conveying direction of the supplementary products on the feed conveyor is located perpendicularly to the plane in which the laterally gripped supplementary products are transported by the rotor and also to the plane in which the printed products which are to be provided with the supplementary products are guided tangentially past the rotor.
The supplementary products, which are provided laterally, in relation to the feed conveying direction, with a strip-forming adhesive layer, are thus gripped by the rotor such that that edge of the supplementary product which butts against the adhesive-layer strip trails in relation to the direction of circulation of the rotor.
However, a large amount of space is required according to PCT publication number WO 99/06285 for the mutual alignment of the feed conveyor for the supplementary products, of the rotor and of the conveyor for the printed products.
On account of the change in the transporting direction within the conveying operation, in addition, the individual transporting sequences have to be carried out with a high level of precision, for which purpose an increase in the transporting rate of said apparatus can only be realized with a high level of outlay.
The object of the present invention is thus to provide a high-performance apparatus which can be used universally and to specify a process, by means of which supplementary products which are fed by a first conveyor in a first position can be gripped, transported to a second conveyor and discharged there in a second position which is suitable for further processing.
The apparatus according to the invention, which is intended for transporting supplementary products, in particular printed products provided with adhesive, from a receiving location, provided at a first conveyor, to a discharge location, provided at a second conveyor, can be used universally since the conveying directions of the first and second conveyors can be selected as desired. The change in position of the supplementary products which is necessary for the discharge to the second conveyor takes place here by way of the transporting apparatus according to the invention.
In a preferable configuration of the invention, the conveying direction of the first and second conveyors and of the transporting apparatus according to the invention are located in one plane, with the result that the space requirement alongside the conveyor provided for the printed products is minimal.
Since the entire conveying operation, according to the invention, can take place in one conveying direction or at least within one plane, with easily manageable transitions between the individual conveying apparatuses, it is also possible to realize high transporting rates with a low level of outlay.